In case you hadn't noticed..

In case you hadn't noticed I've been extremely quiet lately ... But if you're still interested in this type of conversation, I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy ... who's blogging on a site called mattsmissionblog.com  

It's a bit more focused, but you might like it all the same.
Byeeee,
Get me over there ... :-)

Happy New Year Egypt

Maybe it's because it's such a big nation or perhaps because its the mothership of modern Islamism, but Egypt is front and center for me these days and I can't help thinking and praying for her well being.

Here are a couple of things I'm seeing as I try and keep up with developments:

As predicted the new governments in the region are shaping up to be more Islamic than before (see post 16 June 2011) . However, rather than freaking out at the rise of Islam I think there is reason to be cautiously optimistic. The Muslim Brotherhood seems to be walking a far more pragmatic line than some may have anticipated. They have "vowed not to impose veils or ban bikinis and alcohol, knowing that Egypt needs tourists and that the secular Egyptians of Tahrir Square will revolt if women are forced to wear headscarves." (Ed Husain - The Arab Street, 16 Dec 2011). There is agreement among the Freedom & Justice Party (MB political wing) that Egypt cannot prosper without Western help and guidance. This is a long way from al-Qaeda and the supporters of violent jihad. 

Furthermore, the move away from violent politics and towards pragmatic democracy is being encouraged by leaders like Turkey's Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, in an appeal to Egypt to "maintain secularism because a secular government would be best able to (maintain) religious freedoms for the majority and minorities." So while Turkey may have its own issues with religious freedom, this is still good advice.

The group we should be concerned about is the Salafis of al-Nour party. Nour is "light" in Arabic and boy do these guys need the light! They are the joyless hardliners everyone else (including other Muslims) worry about. Where there is Salafism there is violent jihad. 

Obviously I don't know where this election process will end up. With the polling at the moment the future of Egypt is not so much Secular or Muslim, but what sort of Muslim. And, I don't honestly know which is better or worse for the church: a moderate Islamist government or a corrupt secular dictatorship...? What do you think? Please add your comment below.


But let's not lump all Muslims together, and give credit where it's due. If anyone is going to lead an Islamist government it is probably the Muslim Brotherhood. Let's pray that they and all Egypt have a happy New Year, and that religious freedom actually increases (it IS possible).

The Crosscultural Catalyst

When "cultural" is used for other things.

As I listened to the news this morning of another special road opening ceremony it struck me that, contrary to popular opinion, we do actually have a very present national religion: tribal animism! At most official ceremonies of national or local government significance the occasion includes:
1. speeches by the authorities, and
2. a "blessing" ceremony by local Iwi.
To get around the whole Kiwi "we're not religious" farce these ceremonies are called "cultural."  This is a great misnomer and we hear it often. At its core this practice is a spiritual and religious exercise 101. To call a spiritual invocation "cultural" and leave it at that is like letting a Communist open your new highway with a speech about how roads allow everyone to use communal resources without owning anything ... and calling it a "cultural" endorsement!
I respect Maoridom, I love and applaud Maori creative expression in this country, and I support efforts to enhance Te Reo and most other things Maori. What I don't appreciate is having a religious ideology delivered up as  "culture," and seeing our elected leaders regularly authorising animistic folk religion while maintaining that New Zealand "has no official or established religion"  (official statement on religious diversity in New Zealand, published in August 2009. Available from www.hrc.co.nz/religiousdiversity ). 

At the least - we should be authentic and allow for both traditional Maori religion AND Christian (traditional European religion) expressions to be included in our national ceremonies. Why not?

Arab World uprisings.

Many people have asked me lately - what do you think of the events in the Arab World at the moment? While no one knows where these uprisings will lead, below are some thoughts on where it came from (an article I wrote for another publication).

Unlike the standard military coup d’état, what’s happening in the Arab world today are People-uprisings. This is significant and exciting. It’s significant because the impetus for change is not coming from a few high ranking military men with guns at hand, but from millions of young men and women with mobile devices in their pockets. It’s exciting because ordinary people are achieving extraordinary things because they’re hungry for change!

What makes millions of people stand up to their corrupt and well armed leaders? I suggest it comes from a deep sense of shame and disempowerment. This new generation of Arabs feel ripped off! The promises their grandparents passed on to them that very soon they would reap the rewards of wealth and self rule have failed miserably. Vast numbers of Arab people are poor and weak, subject to rich and powerful dictatorships. The dream that the average Muhammad and Fatima would feel some sense of self-rule has died. The hope that the Arab nations under Arab leadership would be run for the people has been dashed. At the same time, the iron-fisted aggression of these governments has now been exposed as meek revolutionaries upload incriminating evidence to Facebook or tweet the details to their compatriots. This convergence of desperation and technology has empowered the wave of revolution to just keep on rolling in.

So far two governments have toppled, and several others are being shaken. The word “democratiyya” (democracy) is heard in the Arab world more today than ever before, but not only will it sound different in Arabic, it will look different too. These nations are Muslim, and if they establish new governments truly elected by the people for the people, they will be new Muslim democracies. Muhammad on the street sees presidents like Ben Ali and Mubarak as secularised leaders, and he longs for a good Muslim head of state to usher in security and prosperity. I suspect the people will demand greater Islamic government from their new leaders, meaning the church is not necessarily in for an easier ride. However, the good news is that the revolutionaries are not extremists and (in Egypt at least) have shown their solidarity with their Christian neighbours in some very encouraging ways. One incident in Alexandra saw thousands of Muslims acting as “human shields” for Christians at Coptic New Years Eve celebrations in January. “We either live together or die together” was their slogan. Millions of Egyptians also changed their Facebook pictures to the image of a cross within a crescent – symbolising an “Egypt for all.” (source: ethnologue.com)

So, as we continue to reach out to this hungry generation, pray for Muslim and Christian relations to be blessed, there is much to be hopeful about.

Culture change, cultural values, & Kiwis

One of the fascinating things about culture is that it is constantly shifting. Like tectonic plates societies gradually move as the thinking and behaviour of their peoples alter with time. And like their seismic counterparts societies occasionally experience big shifts that really shake people up. Immigration is one of those shifts that is impacting many countries and, according to experts, is only going to increase.

So what does this mean for New Zealand? I suggest it means more mosques, more burqas, more covered girls in schools, more Indians behind the counter, fresh expressions of art, alternative greetings, more accents on the phone, and more "Kiwis" getting upset about immigration. It also means more colourful variety in communities, new terminology being introduced, new recipe combinations being tried, new fashion developing ...

One thing I like about New Zealand culture is our relaxed acceptance of other people. But so often it comes with a rather naive hope that they will keep to themselves and we won't impact each other. The reality is, of course, we will. How we influence each other depends on how we relate together. Reports from the Centre for Applied Cross-cultural Research (Victoria University Wellington) state that the more interaction different ethnic groups have with each other, the more the intergroup respect grows between them (presuming the interaction is positive), and furthermore, this reduces intergroup fear. This all seems pretty logical to me! However, it does seem easier to stay apart and worry, than to take initiative and meet strangers.

I suspect that apart from the common hesitation to bowl up to strangers and "interact" more, many people are concerned that immigrants will change society by eroding our prized way of life. I would like to hear your comments on two things:

1. what are your most prized "Kiwi" values - what's really important to you?
2. how do we continue to grow in ethnic diversity AND maintain our core values?

Please leave your thoughts. If you don't have an account just email me.